Gracie Gold performs during the short program in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday. / Winslow Townson USA TODAY Sports

by Christine Brennan, USA TODAY Sports

by Christine Brennan, USA TODAY Sports

BOSTON - U.S. women's figure skating just became a lot more interesting.

The coronation of two-time defending national champion Ashley Wagner will have to wait at least another 48 hours.

When Wagner had surprising trouble with her combination jump during Thursday's short program, she allowed two youngsters and one Olympic veteran to take the top three spots at the U.S. figure skating Olympic trials.

Wagner, 22, settled for fourth place, but she's less than a point behind 20-year-old Mirai Nagasu, who is best known for her past glories, especially her fourth-place finish at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Three women will make the 2014 U.S. Olympic team, and while it would appear that Wagner could be in trouble, it is considered unlikely that she would miss making the team. She won the bronze medal at the recent Grand Prix Final and has been a leader for the United States in the team competition, which debuts in Sochi.

Those decisions will come Saturday night, when the pressure will be on not only the veteran Wagner, but also the two younger skaters who shined so brightly Thursday: 18-year-old Gracie Gold and 15-year-old Polina Edmunds.

Gold's performance matched not only her last name but also her seemingly limitless promise. She landed the toughest triple-triple jump combination, but it was her grace â?? there's that name again â?? and poise, not her soaring athleticism, that captured the night. She was skating her new short program for the first time in competition. It was choreographed by the renowned Lori Nichol, who is perhaps best known for her groundbreaking work with Michelle Kwan. It appears Nichol has the same magic with Gold as she did years ago with Kwan.

Gold received 72.12 points from the judges, giving her a 5 1/2-point lead over Edmunds, a spinning and jumping sensation who was last year's U.S. junior champion.

Edmunds appeared to be a skater in a hurry, talking with a certain swagger about a long program that she has packed with the most demanding jumps.

But she was getting ahead of herself. It was the short program that a teenager like her should savor as the pressure mounts with the Olympic Games - and Saturday night - looming.